Electro-type straightener with rocking plate sections



ELECTRO-TYPE STRAIGHTENER WITH ROCKING PLATE SECTIONS Filed March 28, 1947 11 Z0119 E 1: J26 INVENTOR.

J Q I ELEM?" M/TJWRK J7 86 E w+ Patented July 31, 1951 ELEGTRO-T-Y-PE STRAIGHTE-NER WIPH ROCKING PLATESEG-T-IONS l 7 Albert W. Merk,

Application March 28,

. 5 Claims 1- .Thi invention relate device for finishing electrotype or plates and which device in the trade, is variously referred to. as a hurdy-gurdy, parallelizer,.ffmasher and the like.

An electrotype plate as used in. printing consists. of a copper, nickel or plastic shell, that. is backed up with electrotype metalor any other low melting point metal. The shell constitutes. the printing face ofthe'plate, this shell-being a few theusandths thick contortsitself as it. is backed up with the molten metal, such as lead or some Other low melting point metal. In formin the composite electrotype, waves or bulges .0111 and the. device of the present invention is utilized to remoire, thatis, flatten. out, the. said bulges or waves. The devices. heretofore employed were of such a nature thatunequal blows and pressures were administered to the composite electrotype aus a imes, damage. to the copper. or other metal racing While taking outv the. bulge. in. vth ame an in the soft metal backing- By the present inventionthe difficulties of; th eretoi re. Known. devic s are. eliminated. and a more equal distribution of the striking force,

straightening pressure, is efifisitfid. causing the ma nii naqt oi t e st in force. to be direct d n t e im eriectio iof. theeemnqsite .electrotynet i therefera. the n inc palobieet 9f; the pres.- ent inve t on to. e e. e eetro vne strai ht Qui s cie ieei Wb ,d saibuie t e. ii ee. of e blo t ereby ecit ng mere un i rm electret iie A ie ebiect oi the pr sentmv ntion i the pre e of electrot ne ir wh h irects. tli st faisbt iin blow to he hi h p t o the elee rqtvpe heme. rai htened. there.- by caus ng a. r sh s at to be mere re siiiv eveiesi ansi re ievin the erqe o the. blew rein the por ion Qi the eleetrqtvrea iind s i hi h s o the e y Pre en ng dam e to e P in n fat of the lctrq ype. a A t l ur h r ob ct f he rese e t i.

he. prov s on o e ectr s a h e devi e a ill adapt itself. t e. ne ness o a composite electrotype whereby the straightening force is directed to that portion of the electrotype which most needs it with the result of a considerable savings in time in straightening electrotypes.

O her ec s and d an a e o h res nt inv n n h u d e e dil a a nt by r re e to the following specification considered in con.- ju c w th t e accom anyin dra in s form.- i a a hereo a it is. o e u d rsto d t any modifications may be made in the exact struce r s to improvements in a I ghteningz s? Q inci na i, 1 a. 194'7, Serial-No. 7 373981 il- 2. tural details. there shown and described, within the-scope oi the appended claims, without. (1%:- partingfrom. or. exceeding the spirit of the in: vention. In thedrawings:

Fig. 1 is. a perspective view of an electrotype straightening device embodying the principles of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is asectional, view through the device-oi 1 0 Fig. 1 taken on finel -.2 on said Fig. 1...

Rig. 3 is a View partly insection and partly, in elevation as seen from line 3fi3on. Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the straightening devicetaken: substantially centrally 15 thereof as online 6. 4-on Eig. 3.

- Fig. 5 is a side elevational View of the straightening device of the present invention illus; trating the-same in operation for removing a bulge from a composite electrotype. Big; 6 is a sectional-view similar toEig. 2 showing the straightening device of the present in: ventionarranged for operation on curved elece trotypes.

Throughout the several views of the drawings 2 5 similar reference characters areernployed to dc;-

note the same'orsimilar parts.

The straightening device of the present inven: tioncomprises a block or bOdymember 10 substantially rectangular in plan as illustrated most clearly in- Fig. 3, and having rising, substantially, centrally thereof a boss or knob II. which isthe striking member ofthe straightening device. The body member or-block H] is, substantially, imaginatively, quartered and is provided substantially centrally of each quarter with an aperture that communicates with a half roundor semispherical socket l 3 in each ofsaid quarter-s. Received in each socket l3 is a segment or portion M of the straightening or'conta'cting face of the device.

Each of said segments or portions of the straightening device is substantially "identical construction 'and it istherefore deemed sufficient if but one ofthernbe described in detail. Acc'ordingly, segment I4. of the straighteningpr contacting face comprises a. semieglobular; portion or half ball l-li conneptedby a. reduced nor;- ti n. o neck it: to. the strai hten plate l5!- ifl face o e ch pl e 1. is suit bl mar i d aligned with the aperture 12 in the block or body ID.

The straightening plate segment l4 receive in its threaded socket 19 the threaded end 20 of a bolt 2| which has at its other end an enlarged head 22. In order to retain the semi-globular or ball end l of the striking plate or portion l4 yieldably in the socket i3 use is made of stiff spring 23 which-surrounds the bolt 21 and abuts on opposite ends with the block or body member if) and the bolt head 22.

By this construction the plate segment or portion [4 is yieldably held in the socket l3, prevented irom axial displacement from said socket, but permitted to have a certain amount of universal rolling movement or oscillating movement as determined by the contact of the outer surface of the semi-globular or ball end and semispherical socket l3 and as permitted by the clearance between the walls of the aperture l2 and the bolt 2!. In order to permit a sufficient and atthe same time limit the amount of this movement the rear surface of the striking plate I! is inclined as at 24 and this surface 24 is the final determinator in the amount of swivel, rolling or oscillating movement permitted the striking plate I I, the limit of said swiveling, rolling or oscillating movement being effected when the striking plate back 24 engages the face of the block or body member ID.

Since it is necessary and desirable to have as heavy or large a striking member or boss H as possible and the straightening segments or porti'ons l4 have universal movement, the portions of the bolt heads 22 immediately opposed to the striking lug or boss H are removed as at 25, to prevent interference between them upon swiveling of the segments or portions M. In order to prevent the bolts 2| from rotating due to vibration while in use, the said bolts are locked in their final positions of assembly and which locking may take any suitable or desirable form. As shown in the drawings, the means for locking the .bolts 2| against inadvertent rotary shifting of position comprises the provision of an aperture 26 through each bolt head through which is passed a single or continuous wire 21 which have the ends thereof twisted on one another as'at 28. It is to be understood that the locking wire 2'! is not pulled so tight as to prevent rocking movement of the segments l4.

. There is illustrated in Fig. 5 a typical electrotype which needs straightening before being mounted in the printing press and which electrotype comprises the copper, nickel or plastic facing 29 backed up by a lead or other low melting backing 30. During the formation of the composite electrotype the backing 30 bulged as at 3|. In order to remove the bulge from the composite electrotype it is placed on a suitable straightening table or plate 32 with the copper,

nickel or plastic layer thereof face down. The straightening device of the present invention is then placed over the composite electrotype and upon engagement of one or more of the straightening plate segments or portions I4 with the bulge 3| the said straightening plate segments or portions l4 assume canted or angular positions, such for example as illustrated in Fig. 5. By this construction the said bul e 3| has contact with a greater portion of the face l8 of the striking plate segment or portion l4 than would be the case if the said striking face were solid and co-extensive with the block or body member 10. With the present invention the striking force 4 is directed from the striking boss or member I l to that portion of the bulge 3| which needs it in order to level out instead of having the force of the blow only partially directed to the bulge 3i and the rest of the blow to the portion of the electrotype not necessarily needing the same.

In order to prevent grime, dirt and the like from settlin on the semi-globular or ball portion I5 and the block or body member semispherical seats I3 use is made of a cover or guard 33 having a central aperture 34 in the top portion 35 thereof through which projects the striking member or boss H and which cover or guard 33 has sides 36 that depend from the guard top portion 35 to embrace the sides of the body member of block [0 and which side 36 extend almost to the faces of the segments or portions l4. Any suitable or desirable means such as screws 31, may be employed for securing the guard 33 in position, with said screws 3'. passing through suitable apertures in the guard or cover sides 36 into the block or body member Ill.

The electrotype straightening device illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive is for use in straightening flat electrotypes wherefor the striking plate segments or portions striking faces have their points l8, in a horizontal plane. The straightening device illustrated in Fig. 6 is identical in all respects with that above described except that the segments. or portions l4 have their striking faces points 18 generated to a radius whereby they may be employed in straightening electrotypes adapted for use with cylindrical or curved printing press beds instead of a press having a flat bed. It is to be understood that the arc of curvature of the straightening faces points l8 will be generated to the various radius in use which run from approximately an 8 inch radius up to 36 inches for the largest cylindrical printing presses in use at the present time.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that there has been producedan electrotype straightening device or hurdy-gurdy, parallelizer, masher, or the like that accomplishes the objects initially set forth.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described a block, said block being imaginatively divided into a plurality of equal areas with a semi-spherical socket substantially centrally of each area, a plurality of plates each of an area slightly less than the individual imaginatively divided areas of the block with each plate having a contacting face and a semi-globular or ball projection from the back of the plate, and means including a bolt passing through an enlarged aperture in the block substantially centrally of each semi-spherical socket for thereby connecting the plates to the block with said semi-globular or ball projection contacting the semi-spherical seats to thereby have universal rocking movement relative to the block and said means normally holding the contacting surfaces of the plates in the same plane to present a substantiall continuous contacting surface but permitting each plate to rock when necessary.

v 2. In a device of the class described a block,

said block being imaginatively divided into a plurality of equal areas with a semi-spherical socket substantially centrally of each area, a plurality through an enlarged aperture in the block substantially centrally of each semi-spherical socket for thereby connecting the plates to the block with said semi-globular or ball projection contacting the semi-spherical seats to thereby have universal rocking movement relative to the block, and yielding means associated with each plate for retaining the semi-globular or ball projection contacting surface against the contacting surface of its semi-spherical socket and said yielding means normally holding the contacting surfaces of the plates in the same plane to present a substantially continuous contacting surface but permitting each plate to rock when necessary.

3. In a device of the class described a block, said block being imaginatively divided into a plurality of equal areas with a semi-spherical socket substantially centrally of each area, a plurality of plates each of an area slightly less than the individual imaginatively divided areas of the block with each plate having a contacting face and a semi-globular or ball projection from the back of the plate, means including a bolt passing through an enlarged aperture in the block substantially centrally of each semi-spherical socket for thereby connecting the plates to the block with said semi-globular or ball projections contacting the semi-spherical seats to thereby have universal rocking movement relative to the block, each of said bolts having an enlarged radially projecting head, a spring encircling each bolt abutting on one end with the bolt head and on the other with the block thereby yieldably holding the contacting surface of each semi-globular or ball projection against its contacting surface of the semi-spherical socket and said springs normally holding the contacting surfaces of the plates in the same plane to present a substantially continuous contacting surface but permitting each plate to rock when necessary, and a striking lug projecting from the side of the block opposite to that into which the semi-spherical sockets are formed.

4:. In the device of the class described a block, said block being imaginatively divided into a plurality of equal areas with a semi-spherical socket substantially centrally of each area, a plurality of plates each of an area slightly less than the individual imaginatively divided areas of the block with each plate having a contacting face and a semi-globular or ball projection from the back of the plate, means including a bolt passing through an enlarged aperture in the block substantially centrally of each semispherical socket for thereby connecting the plates to the block with said semi-globular or ball projections contacting the semi-spherical seats to thereby have universal rocking movement relative to the block, each of said bolts having an enlarged radially projecting head, a spring encircling each bolt abutting on one end with the bolt head and on the other with the block thereby yieldably holding the contacting surface of each semi-globular or ball projection against its contacting surface of the semi-spherical socket and said springs normally holding the contacting surfaces of the plates in the same plane to present a substantially continuous contacting surface but permitting each plate to rock when necessary, a striking lug projecting from the side of the block opposite to that into which the semispherical sockets are formed, a guard including an apertured top through which the striking lug projects and said guard having a depending side from said top to embrace the sides of the block and the outer sides of the plates, and means for securing the guard to the block.

5. In a device of the class described a block, said block being imaginatively divided into a plurality of equal areas with a semi-spherical socket substantially centrally of each area, a plurality of plates each of an area slightly less than the individual imaginatively divided areas of the block With each plate having a contacting face and a semi-globular or ball projection from the back of the plate, means including a bolt passing through an enlarged aperture in the block substantially centrally of each semi-spherical socket for thereby connecting the plates to the lock with said semi-globular or ball projections contacting the semi-spherical seats to thereby have universal rocking movement relative to the block and said means normally holding the contacting surfaces of the plates in the same plane to present a substantially continuous contacting surface but permitting each plate to rock when necessary, and a striking lug or projection from the side of the block opposite to that into which the semi-spherical sockets are formed.

ALBERT W. MERK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,045,145 Hubbard Nov. 26, 1912 1,196,942 Fraser Sept. 5, 1916 1,248,184 Silverstene Nov. 27, 1917 1,468,432 Wright et a1. Sept. 18, 1923 2,282,932 Burnett May 12, 1942 

